Reincarnation
by sorciere de roux
Summary: "Hey, Neuro, do you believe in reincarnation?" Yako asked. Neuro falls back to the past, back to memories of earlier years.
1. Questions

**A/N: Ello, my dear readers! I am back and writing ! I have caught up with the modern life of work. So as a little victory I have a new thought and this is the first of at least a few different chapters. Like most of my MTNN it is a Neuro/Yako, I know it doesn't seem like it but truly it will get there. **

_**Questions**_

"Hey, Neuro, do you believe in reincarnation?" Yako asked looking up from a news paper dotted with red and black ink.

"Explain this useless human theory, Dishrag."

"Reincarnation-the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form. Doesn't it seem possible? I mean, then it would explain why people seem to behave the same as someone in the past who is dead. Like if it followed in families or in love lives. If it goes with the soul mate theory, that would be real romantic."

"What a silly, illogical concept."

"That's what you said about all other religion."

"Yes, but this beats them all, Woodlouse."

Yako went back to looking through the newspaper sighing and shaking her head. She didn't understand why Neuro couldn't understand the concept, she thought it could be true. Then again Neuro was a demon and didn't think like her or anyone else human for that matter. She wondered helplessly if she could ever get him to consider it. On second thought though it would be strange for him to believe or even consider any human religion partly true. He explained that some of the more liberal bibles that actually mentions demon are because some of his fellow demons had come up for a summer visit.

* * *

Neuro, chuckling, leaned back in the black leather chair. What a ridiculous idea the thought of humans and coming back after death in a new body seem too out there. It was amazing what the human mind could think up to get back after death. The fear of death made people think up Heaven, Hell (though they got that right, except the part about humans being welcomed) and other such places. It amused him to no end of where it would go. Closing his eyes and clasping his hands, he decided a little bit of sleep would be the best course of action, to prepare him to go puzzle hunting.


	2. Florance, Italy

**Florance, Italy~ 1630**

She walked quickly through the dark night, she glanced back, her eyes darting upwards for a second. The soft crunching of leaves beneath her feet as she dances from step to step. The moon shown the light colors of her gown and the dark stains towards the bottom. The mud plastered the hem, cracked and chipping. Her blond hair was swept up and held with several silver pins. One or two pins fell out as she sped up to get back to the house before her brother.

Neuro watched the small human sped up more and tripped. He softly chuckled at her lack of balance. He already saw her fall several times because she forgot to lift her skirt and she still hasn't learned. She bounced back up and dusted off her gown. This time she gathered her skirts and started to sprint. With one hand holding up her skirt and the other keeping her hair up, Neuro could see the thin, pale legs. The girl couldn't be more than sixteen human years.

Neuro got up from the sturdy branch that supported him. The branch bent slightly as he jumped off of it and onto the roof of a near by house. Following the girl to her house, he waited for her elder brother to arrive home. Maybe this human could help him unravel the curiosity that threaded in his mind. Who was this girl and why did she cause such a weird feeling?

Her hair a bright yellow, like one of the little flowers he passed. Her eyes were such a rich amber, so vibrant. He didn't think that eyes that color would capture his interest. He usually went for the bright red eyes of most of his kind. That human child had such a shine of intelligence, the kind that humans overlooked. The stupidity of denying potential because of gender was ridiculous.

A man walked quickly to the door, He had bright blond hair. He had long scalloped sleeves that connected to a doublet. He was wearing tights of the same dark purple. He was accompanied by two men a few steps behind him. One was tall and had dark brown hair that fell in waves to his shoulders. He was in a green and black doublet that was held with a silver belt with green stones. His hands were speckled with rings of gold, with various jewels. The other man was shorter and plump. His hair was slicked back into a thin ponytail, held with a slim black ribbon. The doublet looked like it was almost too short for him.

~*~

Yako softly shut the door. Sighing she brushed off dust and straightened out her gown. She pulled off the top layer that was too dirty to hide, underneath was a dark Gomorrah. It laced tightly and brushed the tops of her feet. Pulling the remaining pins in her hair, she unruffled her hair. Quickly plaiting it and stowing the pins in a small pot. Hurriedly, pulled a pitcher that was slightly filled with wine.

The front door yanked open and in stormed her brother. His blonde hair falling in waves to his shoulders. It was ruffled from the normal slicked style that he always had when he went to one of _those _parties. He was followed by his two minion friends and a new comer. It surprised her a little. Not many men of status like her brother well. His green eyes drawed hers. The man had blond hair with black bangs. It was an oddity that she never saw before. But since her brother enjoyed to have her locked up, that didn't say much.

"I thought I told you that you were to stay here."

"I've always been here, what are you talking about?" She said tilting her head innocently to the side. The maid slipped in and quickly curtsied. She continued to pull out some cups and gently took the pitcher from the girl's hand. She poured some into the glass and handed it to the young man. She hoped the mulled wine would ease her master's nerves and lessen the wrath.

"Yako, I will _not_ be lied to. Did. You. Leave. The. Villa." He bit out the words slowly and commandingly. Yako stood there and kept her face up. Her eyes were cast downward in a mockery of humility. A quiet murmur came out and she turned to leave,

"What? You will speak clearly as your station demands." She turned and stubbornly stuck her chin out. Her eyes flamed with defiance.

"I said that I have not left."

With that said she turned and walked proudly out of the kitchen. Her hair fluttering with her fast pace. Her brother watched with anger at the mockery she produced, especially in front of his minions. He started to follow but a firm hand on his shoulder prevented that. He turned and he met the vivid green eyes of a tall man. The fury turned to dread that slithered to his feet. The man grinned evilly and bent close to him.

"Hands off."

He turned and left the building chuckling. His minions moved to pounce on the man, but an arm interrupted their path. A quick shake of his head called them off, left to look like mindless drones. He turned to where the maid was standing. The only thing left was air. The pitcher put back into place, cups washed. There was nothing out of place, not even a silver hair pin.

~*~

The door opened and was kicked shut. The maid who just entered was completely different when her brother wasn't around. She came in and dumped the dirty garment on the floor, and continued to put the silver hair pins in a small, carved wooden box. She watched as the maid fussed at the room and about the amount of disgrace that she presented today. From childhood she has watched and provided care as motherly figure for her.

"Do you _know _what could have happened to you? You know how your brother is. He may have killed you. Why do you keep defying him?"

Yako sighed and picked up a forgotten book. Her brother would have a fit if he found her reading. Then again, he thought that women shouldn't learn anything other than obedience and domestic arts. Bound to the house, it was the only thing that kept her sane. Though she never spoke it out loud, lest it jinx her, she thanked her maid for teaching her it.

~*~

**The Next Day:**

Yako went to the formal dinning room. It was bathed in the morning light. The table was set and drinks were poured in the appropriate glasses. She walked over and sat in a delicate seat at the end of the table. There was a fresh salad on her plate, unlike the clean plates of others. She quickly finished the salad, careful not to add any thing that could leave a mark on her plate. This little disobedience from the maid lifted her spirits slightly. She normally had to wait for her brother.

Today, apparently he found a new "friend". Although, the "friend" seemed more in control than her brother. It was curious, he never invited those he wasn't in control of. She didn't notice that he seem afraid of him. She did notice, however, that he was the same person from the other night. Her confusion greatened as he sat across from her and her brother on the other end of the large table. Remembering her manners she ducked her head and listened to her brother recount the party from the other night. Who did what and who fought whom. It was the same story she heard every few days. Apparently the men were creatures of habit. The story was in the first arc as the food was brought out and served. It finished when the meal was taken away.

All this time Yako felt the intensity of the green-eyed man. From sneaked looks, which she noticed he was aware of, he was amused by her brother. Why she couldn't fathom. After food was brought out she realized that he dropped the pretense of listening to her brother and started to watch her. She ducked her head, hoping to hide the crimson blush painted across her cheek bones. The rest of dinner went that way, until the men retired to the private room.

~**~

"Maid. Can you look at mark here?"

"What mark- Oh My!! Here come into the light."

"Maid you're scaring me." Yako's voice trembled nervously. Her eyes darted around and her hands knotted. The maid looked closely at the marks on her inner thigh. There were swollen bumps and she started to get odd red patches. She was getting worried. She heard that there was something going around the lower class. She was achy and tender. Her skin was looking like it was getting bruised. From what, she didn't know.

"My Lady! This is does not look good! I think that we need to get a doctor."

She disappeared through the door and reappeared a couple minutes later. She carried different sized pots and a few cloth bags. She set them down and left again. This time returning with a cup of hot water. Two of the bags were put into the cup and let to steep.

~*~

Over the next fews days, Yako got worse. Neuro watched from afar and though he would not admit, he grew worried. She began getting black spots and coughing up blood. Within the first hour of doing so she got restricted to the bed. She then got a physician by her bedside. Then it was followed by two. The color faded from her, and her hair lost its luster.

At day four she started to have fevers. When one broke another one came a hour later. She gained four physicians, and a constant bedside pan. She could barely talk and grew thinner. The maid, that he briefly met, sat by her side most of the time. Her brother on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

On the sixth night, he had to leave. He was going through withdraw from Hell. Before he left he visited her. He sat by her, watching her labored breath. Her hand found his and it was although her hand was pottery about to shatter. Her expression of pain softened to discomfort.

As the moon rose he studied her. She effected him in such a short time. He stood fluently and smoothed her hair behind her head. Before he left, he bent over to speak in her ear.

"I'll be back. I promise you."

And with that he did something that he'd never tell anyone back home, he lightly kissed her on the forehead.

~*~

It was three human days when he returned. He moved to the villa that the little human girl lived in. When he reached there it was empty. There was little evidence to show that there was a girl there at all. He searched the rest of the district, and began to grow frantic. He started to search the other district and spotted the Maid in a crowd of people. He slipped in behind her, careful to keep her in eyesight.

The procession led to a graveyard just outside of town. The Maid stood off to the side of one grave and greeted the people. As the people dispersed he stepped forward. She glanced up and then plopped down next to the marker she stood by for so long.

"She was so young. So _young. _And her brother doesn't have enough decency to be sober, or even here."

"How long?" Was all that he found he could say. His eyes stayed glued to the grave of the girl he was so intrigued with.

"Two days." The Maid stood and passed by. Leaving the near-stranger to grieve over the girl she watched over for all her life. On the boarder of town she turned to see the man fallen on the ground. His head in his hands and his shoulders slightly trembling. She paused, then left the man to do as he would.

**A/N:**

AH-HA! The first real chapter is finally finished. It took me way too long, but compared to the normal lengths of what I write, no wonder. I do have to say this was fun. The research (yes, I actually did research for this) was fun in itself. How disturbing. Anyone who isn't familiar with what Yako gets, it's a form of the bubonic plague. Back then there was an outbreak of it in Italy, because the health restrictions were loosened for carnivals. And it was suppose to kill in about eight days.

Any thoughts of when and where for the next part, or even if there is a next part, feel free to let me know! Anything is welcomed.

And anyone who is reading my Bun in the Oven story, there is a new chapter up, or up soon, as a thanks and apology for waiting so long on this.

So long and thanks for all the fish!


	3. Limbo

Modern Day. Friday

Neuro slowly opened his eyes. The bright lights of the afternoon faded to a soft blanket of twilight. The office was mostly dark, save for a soft glow on the coffee table. A small lamp gave light to the brunette working on bookwork. A small cellphone was beside the pile of books. It softly vibrated, the screen reading _**Kanae**__._

He glanced at he far wall. Slowly the minute hand clicked to read 7:42. The small human girl shifted, and started to hum an old tune. He couldn't place exactly where it was from (so much for Demon memory) but it was eerily familiar. He sat up, startling her. Which, in turn caused the stack of books to go tumbling and papers to go flying.

"Startled, Dishrag?" His voice held a tone of belittling amusement. His eyes tracked her as she picked up her books and organized the papers. She started to shove books into a brown leather bag. Her movements were stiff and jerky. Neuro thought for a moment, whether to stop her or just let her go. It was too late for a snack now, stupid louse. However, tomorrow was Saturday. Yes, Saturday, that would work. She would make up for it tomorrow.

"Go home, Louse." She looked up. The confusion in her eyes were evident. And amusing as Hell. She stood there for a moment, hesitating. His slight smile grew into an evil grin. Her eyes widened, and she darted for the door. She was so predictable about things like that. Tomorrow he would feed. That would help things. He tried to shake off that dream, but it felt more like a distant memory. He have flashes of Yako in a dark dress. Then pale and sweating in a small bed.

He shook his head, this wasn't real. It was what the humans called nightmares. Things meant to freak you out. He didn't come to the human world before this century. He didn't believe that stupid theory, but it felt so real. It was food deprivation. That's it. That was the problem. It would be over tomorrow. He turned back to face the city. The lights were a comforting glow. His eyes started to drop, the view were filled with more dark spots. He felt his head tilting back, but didn't feel like jerking it back to it's upright state. His consciousness of the surroundings grew less and less. Finally, he gave up the slight fight that he gave. Might as well take the plunge.

_**A/N: **_**Well, my dears? The next chapter will take a bit longer. Sorry. I do have two stories I'm doing at the same time. My apologies. Like I've mentioned time and time before, I have updated **_**Bun in the Oven,**_** A Ghost Hunt story. It is now chapter 7. **

**To ****SageofAges729, Thanks for the prompt, I will probably use it. I'll give you a heads-up. **

**Any other suggestions for time periods are completely welcome.**


	4. Paris, France

During the Fronde des Nobles/ Franco-Spanish War.

Fronde- sling, attack cardinal mazarin, king louis XIV

* * *

Paris, France, 1650

Neuro stepped through the portal. He glanced around at his surroundings, examining where he landed. So this was the mortal plane. He was sure he wouldn't ever plan on calling it 'home, sweet home'. Ha, that was a laugh. There were mortals everywhere. Somehow, he, even though he was on top of a building and the only doing such a thing, no one noticed. He stood there for quite some time, contemplating his next move.

He lightly jumped down from the roof, following the ally as it led to more back streets. Humans were pouring out in waves. Some with animals pulling carts, others with huge bags filled to the brim tied on their backs. He walked within the crowd, having his human guise fit into the era that he just walked into. The waves of people pushed and pulled him out of the city and to follow a well worn road.

Down the path, farms littered the countryside, adding a bit of color or lack of to the fields of gold wheat. Neuro followed the dwindling amount of people. People were splintering off to smaller less used roads. Such as the main roads were beginning to be used for the militia. Neuro followed the main road till he reached the edge of the countryside.

By the sea, just a little ways off the road was a small hovel. It had a small garden beside it and a makeshift pin for a few hens. The door opened and a girl in her late teens walked out, holding a basket. She used this basket to thin out the small garden of the vegetables. Her long hair was a bright yellow, offsetting her chocolate eyes. Neuro watched as she ducked inside her home and exchanged the basket for a clay jug. He followed her as she winded a small path to the beach, trying to figure out her purpose.

As the beach came into view, Neuro noticed a few different things that seemed out of place. First, there was a large wooden structure jutting out into the ocean. Second, there was a body of a young man face down on the shore, waves lapping at his booted feet. The girl that Neuro followed on her paused the moment she saw the man. Then set the jug down, almost breaking it at the last moment. She dashed to the boy, and did what appeared to be checking his vitals. She tried to prop him up to lean him onto her back.

The short trek that was the path to her humble home, turned to a long haul. Her small body had to take several breaks to accommodate for the added weight. The boy stayed unconscious the whole time, seeming either dead, or badly hurt. He moaned at the girl hefted her one last time to her small hovel. She started, nearly dropping him in the process.

The girl disappeared inside with the outsider. She surfaced from the hovel several minutes later, headed towards the shore once more. She came back in view with the jug, splashing the ground with the water from inside. She went inside and went around preparing herb water for the young soldier's wounds. She knelt down next to his makeshift pallet, some of his belongings on the other side of him. This included his pack, a small but wicked looking dagger, and a canteen with a Spanish looking symbol blazed on the front.

She turned her back to dip the rag into the herb water, the young soldier jerked to murky consciousness. The stinging pain of the herb water replaced the murkiness of sleep. His hand instinctual grasped for a weapon. The helping hands viewed as enemy claws seeking to torture. Unseen by the blond, the young man hand's found his sword laying by his side.

Wringing out the rag, unconscious and unconcerned of the threat of her patient, the girl continued to work. Neuro, however, became very aware of the girl's mortality. Laws of his own world forbade him to openly help or harm an individual of those of a lower race.

The blade came down in a shimmer of the late sunlight. The blood of the young French woman covered the blade in a deep red. A mix of a sigh and a moan escaped as the blade sank deeper into the base of her skull.

Neuro sat there aching unnaturally to help her. He saw as the soldier's fog lifted from his mind and he realized what he had done. He watched as the young man sat up and frantically covered the body with a long cloth. The young man scrounged for any supplies he would need and take it outside. He saw as the boy burned the small hovel and scurried away. Neuro walked in the ashes where the young girls body had been, and although nothing in this world or any other would make him say, a small crystal slipped down his cheek to wet the ground where she was left.

* * *

Sorry my poor readers. I had a little bit of a slump, and an onslaught of work. Not much of an excuse but I'm sticking to it. At least this is up by Christmas. A merry little Christmas to you all. Or rather, Happy Holidays!


	5. Interlude

**Modern Day, Saturday**

Neuro eyes slipped open, a startling green gem glaring at the world. He sat up as he heard the soft pitter-patter of footsteps. A pause came before the creaking of the office door. The blond walked in, a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She wore jeans and a thick jacket. It was patched with dark spots, belying the weather outside.

Neuro stood, walking to the short girl, visions of French woman falling and the burning house flooded him. As he passed Yako, he took a hold of her shoulder, testing the reality of her being there. It was just a reassurance, Neuro did not want to find a different slave to be his front. It may make people gossip. He wouldn't dare say it, but he was becoming quite fond of his slave. She was a constant, and he would also never admit it, he liked having a constant in this world.

* * *

During the whole investigation, Neuro seemed to torture Yako more. Neuro, if he was human, was what she would called spooked. It was if he had something that worried him and made him think that she would disappear. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. He became a constant companion, a shadow that never faltered. He was starting to creep her out, well, more than normal.

* * *

Neuro walked her home, not that he was worried or anything. The blond girl who looked frighteningly like Yako covered in blood kept creeping up. That girl and Yako started to blend and at times it was as if it was Yako falling to the ground, covered in blood. He checked the house several times to make sure it was secure. His lookout post was a tall tree right by her house. It gave him unnecessary, but preferred shelter and it was decently comfortable.

As the day drifted into nighttime, the thoughts of the little French woman clouded his mind. The same feeling as the thing most akin to a dream kept pulling at his consciousness. He felt like he had seen these scenes before, but was forsaken if he knew just where this familiarity was from. Neuro decided that if it was the last thing to do, he was going to find the cause of this. No one did things to him unless he wanted to.

**A/N: It's been a while. I know, I know. I've been a bit busy with the more real life aspect. I should start to get more regular. It will be between this and _Bun in the Oven_, but I will try to get updated as fast as possible. Trying to find another time for the next part to be set in. If you have any suggestions, I appreciate it immensely.**

Comments, Criticisms, Questions or Concerns are always welcome.

You see that button? That button is pretty isn't it? I think so. Push it for me?


	6. St Petersburg, Russia

1723 ~ _Russia_, _**Saint Petersburg**_

(Starting in present day, from _Interlude_)

* * *

Neuro reclined in the tree as if it was fainting couch and he was a poor aristocratic woman of the Victorian age. The cold night air wrapped around him, pulling him further into the deep pulls of the sea of sleep and dreams. The very early spring still had the biting taste of winter and the habit of leaving the crystalline beauty of morning frost. The house that he was facing was dark. The movement of the world around him fell from a dull roar to a delicate silence.

The cold wind that wound around him passed through the glamor of the not-so-human facade. His colorful feathers were being pulled and twisted. Out of habitual irritation for the mortal's environment, so drastically and terribly different than his comfortable, warm and tedious home in Hell. Neuro cracked a glaring eye at the sensation of change. The poisonous gaze fell on a stone palace. If Neuro was anything but what he was, the amusing, but rare sight of him flailing out of the tree would be completely imaginable, however, he was Neuro. This leads to the the possible view of a strangely dressed man-person in one of the great Tsar's trees one minute there reclining as a thief taking refuge and the next minute gone as if an apparition of the night that the suns first's rays touched.

From Neuro's new vantage point, he could see mortals walking slowly in strange garb, nothing he had seen from any of his previous 'visits' of the humans' history. The females were in tightly cinched contraptions that refined their shapes, these contraptions were contrasted by large, rounded skirts. On their heads were funny shaped scraps of fabric edged with a thing he believed was called 'lace.' The men were in more familiar garments, long jackets and knee britches. Some of the older mortals seemed uncomfortable in this type of clothing. It seemed odd, the weather would deemed a heaver and less form-fitting clothing but mortals were silly creatures and did not always follow logic.

He starting scanning for the bright yellow hair that he always seemed drawn to in this recurrence. Many of the people who were dispersed around him were dark-haired, so finding one light-haired girl should have been done with little difficulty. Though all that would have fit in the age group he was looking for had their hair, nicely and annoyingly, covered.

Moving among the humans was possible, the glamor that he had rippled slightly to blend with the trends of those around him. He didn't remember it doing that in the previous two experiences. This gave him a bad feeling. Being a demon from Hell, he was normally caused the bad feeling. The inside the palace was more ornate, it was also more deserted. Blue and gold covered the rooms that he saw.

He moved to one room after another. As he went further into the maze of the palace, the more ornate it was. He also was coming across less and less young women. It began to grate on his originally small patience. The rooms changed from one bright color to the other that had a dizzying effect on his head. It was how he heard a head cold could be described.

"Dearie? You're not suppose to be here." A lilting voice reached his ears. The owner of the voice seeped to have stepped from the woodwork with her dark brown clothing. She was short in stature and plump, following in dress a simpler design that he had seen on many of the other ladies that he had passed by. She turned and walked a ways away. She looked back and smiled slightly. It was one of the ones that Yako always responded to exuberantly.

"Come now, dearie." With that the short woman walked away. Out of curiosity, he followed the woman, the bobbing little white head weaving through several hallways, which would have made any human completely lost. She led him to a large hall. In the very front was a throne that was currently empty. This caused a loud buzzed of whispered conversations that to have seemed to have concentrated on that gilded chair. The people quieted as he entered the room, the groups of people turned towards his entrance. They stood, stared for a minute or two, and then promptly ignored him.

Weaving, he looked closely at the faces he passed by. All the chocolate eyes that he passed and he couldn't find the pair that he was almost desperate to find. Those same eyes that he looked at stared back accusingly. They shuffled away as he passed by, avoiding even brushing against. They seemed to have instinctively realized that he was not the same kind of species as the rest of them. A shuffle echoed in the large hall, and the company of people dropped.

In a kind of forced compliance, he made a dropping motion like the rest. A tall man shuffled in, with a short girl following him, looking down. Her hair was covered like the rest. Her plain clothing stood out among the general splendor as she followed the man to his ornate throne. She took her place behind it keeping her head down and hands folded.

_"All hail the King. You may rise."_

The crowd, including Neuro, rose simultaneously, facing the throne. He slipped out of the crowd as the court began. The complexion of the king was fading fast. He slipped to the side that he recently came from, avoiding the people who were clambering for the king's attention. As he headed towards the door, he saw the short servant woman from before. She made eye contact, just before she turned and left.

Curiosity peaked, Neuro followed the lady. Catching up in a blue and gold room, he found the woman sitting in an ornate blue armchair. From the tall windows, Neuro found the once pleasant day was darkening with his declining mood. Moving to the chair that sat opposite of the woman, Neuro looked again at the servant woman. Really Looked. He couldn't quite seem to bring himself to be surprised. A little annoyed, perhaps, but not surprised.

"My dear feathered friend, I would hurry back to your dear little human toy." The warm tone contrasting her rough words. The servant woman leaned back and the image rippled, and turned back to the servant woman once again.

"What happens if I don't? I don't take threats very well." The peals of laughter that came from the servant woman, was anything but old and matronly. It was a high, clear, silver tones of little bells.

"I think you mistake me. I'm not making threats. Merely advice to your benefit. I, personally, prefer dreams a little on the bloody side. But I'm just along for the ride." Her voice was filled with amusement and a touch of recklessness.

"What's going to happen?" The question came out as more of an order as Neuro stood up quickly. He moved towards her as her voice riled him.

"Like I said, just along for the ride. But, if I were you I would check the back hallway leading to the dais of the room you were just in. "

Neuro turned and moved towards the door at the other end of the room. Moving quickly, he weaved through the passageways as if he lived there for a long time. It was as if he was a constructor of a maze and walking it after several years, even as it remained unchanged.

When Neuro reached the back hallway, the sky showed the evening encroaching. The time the sky showed was almost arbitrary. A door opened to his right and out came a tall guard in straight pants holding onto a hilt of a long blade. Behind him and his partner, came the King followed by the same short girl that he saw in the throne room. The group approached him as if he was not there. The guards who were scanning the hall were paying him no mind.

A soft shuffle sounded further down the passage. Apparently Neuro wasn't the only one looking for the king. A tall woman in servant's garb came down the passage. The shuffle being the sound of her soft footsteps and skirts brushing the floor. Stopping in the left side of the hallway, she gave a curtsy, hands shifting on her skirts. The guards passed by as the woman stayed in lowered in deference. As the King and the young girl passed, the lady shifted.

The woman moved towards the king the same time that the young girl moved, stepping into the path of the assailant and therefore into the way of the blade. The blade slipped through the ribs and flesh as if it was passing through butter. Neuro moved towards the commotion as the young girl slipped to the ground. As she fell, her hat slipped off, revealing golden yellow hair. The yellow contrasted with the growing paleness of her skin. Neuro found himself holding the girl, her chocolate eyes so achingly familiar.

"Кто вы? Я думаю, что я тебя знаю." Her voice was soft as her brown eyes slipped shut. The words wound around him in the foreign tongue, that for some reason wouldn't quite translate. The blood from her wound soaking through to his feathers, as her breaths steadily decreased. There was a hitching sound, a cough, and a sudden stillness.

* * *

**_-Crash-_**

* * *

Neuro found himself seated firmly on the ground that had white frost on it. Next to him was the tree that he had taken up residence several hours ago, judging by the lightness that was creeping from the eastern sky. His feathers were cold and damp from frost and what he would, if he was anything but a fearsome demon from the deepest, scariest parts of Hell itself, was nervous sweat.

* * *

**A/N:**

The Russian, not that I speak Russian, so I apologize if it is terribly incorrect, means "Who are you? I think I know you."

This was unintentionally put on hiatus. I may be able to get the schedule that I wanted for this back, but it will be a while before the next installment. If I had to give an estimate, I would say towards the end of November for the next long chapter. So I apologize in advance. This chapter was longer than expected, so I hope it may tide y'all over for a tad bit of time. May you all keep warm in this approaching Winter.


	7. Small Respites and Daring Chases

**Modern Day, Sunday**

As Neuro meandered back to his office, thinking about that mysterious woman. During the dream it felt so real, and as a supernatural demon, he should know what real is. The description of her was starting to slip as fog slowly dissipates off a lake. He wasn't use to this feeling, that he was forgetting something. He was aware that he was losing whatever it was.

People passed him by and he was only vaguely aware of them, far too wrapped up in his head that to concern himself with anything else. As he turned down a road to get back to the office, he caught a glimpse of long black hair. It was odd because the hair seemed more like ink soaking into the fabric of reality. It was blurred and unfocused. Neuro turned to the direction of the black hair and it was gone. It didn't move, it was just gone. Dissolved perhaps would be a better description, he was never quite fond of complexities of language.

Gliding into the office, he kicked the couch out of his way. His desk called to him and he leaned forwards, petting it affectionately. In a way quite unnatural for a desk, it purred back, stretching in askance of a scratched. He obliged, scoring it with his claws and he moved to sit behind it. Kicking up his feet, he leaned back watching the clock over the door with a sort of malice and sadistic glee.

* * *

Neuro lounged at his desk, heels kicked up to a corner of the still purring desk. The big widows to his side let in the mid-morning light as he cleaned and sharpened his claws. There was a soft patter of footsteps of Yako coming down the hallway. The doorknob turned hesitantly, then the door moved slowly protesting the movement with a soft moan. As Yako peeped her head around the door, a round wall clock sped towards her viciously.

Neuro chuckled as he stretched in his chair. A groan and clatter of a falling clock was the only noise in the office. Struggling to get up, Yako started muttering. Demon ears being what they were, they caught every utterance of discourtesy that she bestowed upon his delightful person. Unraveling from his position on the chair Neuro sauntered towards the door, pausing slightly to pluck Yako from her spot off to the side. The grip on her head was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Come Louse. We have a mystery to find. I'm quite peckish and you should take responsibility."

"But, Neuro, how is this _my_ fault?"

"You _dare_ contradict your master?"

His voice had a sickeningly sweet quality. The soft comfort of poison before it took effect. Yako had plenty of experience of that tone. By now she knew that better than to respond to the rhetorical question. She did it once before out of spite, thinking things could hardly get worse. Needless to say, because it was Neuro, it got worse.

* * *

The part of downtown that they were wandering through was not as packed as it was normally. Yako was secretly thankful for that small blessing. Groups of large people had started to make her nervous, especially when she was with Neuro. They reached an intersection when Neuro stopped. It was like when a dog gets a scent or hear a particular sound and they need to study it further. Turning sharply to the left, Neuro dodged people as he weaved following something that she couldn't see. Yako followed, apologizing to those that both of them bumped into, flashing them an apologetic grin as she raced to keep up.

When Neuro stopped, she started panting, feeling dizzy and sick. As soon as Yako caught her breath, she tried to figure out where she was led. It was a lit back alley. A space between restaurants, the road old enough that it was still made out of bricks. Neuro's head jerked left as if catching a glimpse of that ghost that he was chasing. He went faster than before, completely losing Yako. She fought to catch up, but felt as though she was a small dog racing against a greyhound.

* * *

Neuro stopped in a dead end. His prey was caught finally, with nowhere left to go. That is, his prey should have been here. It was a dead end of the city's alleys that seemed to belong in a post-apocalyptic city. It had a large tree oddly place. The surrounding buildings were decrepit and the plants claimed the walls of the buildings to take root in. The metal was rusted and in some places disintegrated.

She was taunting him with allowing him just glimpse of her when he thought she was completely out of reach. The flash of black hair and the chase was on again. The faint smell of rain and dried blood teased his senses when he lost her, mocking him. As a demon from Hell, this insult could not be borne.

"Oi! Parrot! What is wrong with you?" A feminine voice called to him from above. She lounged in the tree with inhuman grace. Her long black hair swished back and forth, like an agitated cat's tail.

"You _dare_ insult me?" His voice came out as a crocked hiss, anger breaking through his normally calm demeanor. This was not the time to be pulling this. He had lost what was left in his considerably enormous patience.

"You just don't learn, do you? You think I'm having fun? Get it through your head, bird brain." She moved from her position to sit upright on the sturdy branch, her booted feet swinging back and forth. He stared up at her, disgruntlement growing on his face. She studied his face for a moment, searching for something he couldn't name. Sighing, she shook her head and gave a doleful, crooked grin.

"You really don't know. You can't see a warning when it's thrown in your face. What a pity. For you both."

"What are you talking about? I demand to know. What trick are you pulling, child?"

She leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. Neuro's glamour started to fizz, the edges of his human form gaining feathers and bird-like qualities. Her giggle did nothing but ruffle his feathers. As he got more agitated, the silence between them grew.

"I am what I've always been. Have you?"

She seemed to gain that painting attribute. Her hair turned to ink soaking into a delicate white fabric. Her distinct outline became blurred, as if like her hair, she started to bleed into the fabric of reality. The colors that she wore faded into shades of Grey.

"I will find you again."

"Find me again? But you never did find me. Silly bird," She said with a slight chuckle "I was never here. I am, and always have been, in your head."

Her shape dissipated leaving her faint colors stained in the space she occupied. Footsteps approached, clonking on the pavement that led up to where he stood. As Neuro turned, Yako paused at the intersection. She turned towards him, her cheeks faintly red from exertion.

"Neuro. There you are. Who were you talking to? I thought I heard your voice. Was there someone else here?"

Neuro paused for a minute before replying. He thought about telling her about that woman, but determined that it would be ridiculous. Masters do not share such information with their servants. Walking back towards her, he cast one more glance at the dead end behind him. The tree that was there was now gone. The alley returned to all the others. Buildings, though run down, were still functional. The mass of plant growth that was there was replaced with peeling paint and graffiti.

"No. There was no one."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello dears, It's been a while. I have to thank all of you for your continual feedback. It really pushed me to get going for this. Now I know some of you are wondering who this mysterious woman is. I do have to say, I'm growing quite fond of her as I keep writing. I will give a bit of a hint for all of you, she is someone you've met before. Several times actually...


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